Rotary needs to fund through strategic planning

Besides the eradication of polio in Bangladesh, the Rotary Club is playing a leading role in hunger eradication, women's empowerment, and sustainable development in the health sector, said speakers at a roundtable.

A strategic planning is needed to accelerate this development, they said while addressing the event "Rotary Club's role in progress in Bangladesh's 50 years of independence" at the Bangabandhu Military Museum in the capital on Saturday.

They said a resource strategy plan needs to be formulated to fund the seven sectors in which Rotary works, including disease eradication and treatment, water and sanitation, and maternal and child health.

Syeda Rezwana Hasan, chief executive of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, said just development is not enough, it must be sustainable and environment-friendly. 

Senior Economist at the Policy Research Institute Ashikur Rahman said, "Bangladesh has come a long way in 50 years of independence. Our development will be effective only if we can build a skilled nation. The challenge of the Fourth Industrial Revolution lies ahead. The Rotary Club needs to be more proactive in developing skills to meet this challenge."

Former education secretary Nazrul Islam Khan said Bangladesh lags far behind in the World Innovation Index. The education system in Bangladesh is only 15% technical and 85% general. Technical education should be increased to 80%. Rotary Club needs to play a strong role in this technical development.

Former Chew Whip and Vice President Abdus Shahid said the spread of drugs has become one of the challenges for the country's progress. "We need to save our young generation from the devastating effects of this drug. Rotary needs to come forward with a community awareness message to stop drugs."

Barrister Motasim Billah Faruqi said Rotary has spent Tk100 crore in Bangladesh to eradicate polio. Rotary will eradicate polio from the world once Pakistan and Afghanistan are free of polio. 

Former chief whip Abdus Shahid and Director of Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry Preeti Chakraborty also addressed the roundtable.